New FAO study on human rights and the environment published

May 2022 — The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has published a new legislative study titled ‘The interdependence of human rights and a healthy environment in the context of national legislation on natural resources’, which was authored by SCELG Prof Elisa Morgera and the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, John H. Knox.

The legal paper reflects on the interdependence of human rights and the environment and their significance for the development and implementation of national laws on agricultural development and the management of renewable natural resources, ranging from land, water, fisheries, plants, and animals, to food, forestry, wildlife, biodiversity and trade laws. It is also relevant for national laws on climate change, gender equality, agribusiness operations, the right to food, the right to water and the prevention of potential conflicts arising from the competition for natural resources. 

The publication was preceded, in spring 2021, by a training session on "International human rights and the environment: what do they mean for the mandate of FAO?" that was attended by more than 30 legal officers from FAO. 

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